Plate And Paddle Assembly For Handling Hot Food Items

ABSTRACT

An assembly includes a plate having a peripheral edge, a lower surface, and a plurality of downwardly-extending feet formed integrally to the lower surface. The assembly further includes a paddle having a handle and a blade extending from the handle. The paddle has a free position, in which the paddle is away from the plate. The paddle also has a seated position, in which the paddle is received along the lower surface of the plate and between the plurality of feet on the plate.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to dishware, and more particularly to dishware for hot food items.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Foods often need to be heated before serving. Many recipes call for food to be heated before serving. Some foods must be heated for safety reasons; they may contain eggs or other raw products which are unsafe to eat without first raising their temperatures to destroy harmful elements. Other foods need to be heated to achieve a certain culinary effect, such as getting yeast to rise into the dough of bread or cheese to melt into a soup. Still other foods simply taste better when warm than cold.

Different methods for heating foods have been around for thousands of years. Food can be heated with fire, with boiling water, with direct or indirect heat, even with sunlight. Sometimes heat from the heat source is applied directly to the food, such as might occur when a pig is roasted on a spit. Other times, the heat is less direct, such as when heating a pot of water into which an egg has been placed for hard boiling. In sum, there are a number of ways of heating food items.

Often, when food is heated in a dish such as a bowl or a plate, the dish itself becomes hot as well. If the food is heated in an oven, the temperature of the dish will usually rise close to that of the oven. If the food is heated in a microwave oven, the dish can occasionally become much hotter than the food itself, depending on the type of food and the material construction of the dish. Hot dishes become a serious problem when trying to remove the food from the oven or microwave oven. A cook can severely burn his or her hands if he or she grabs the dish directly.

As a result, some cooks use dish rags or oven mitts to remove hot dishes. However, oven mitts are typically thick and inflexible, and provide very little tactile response so that the cook often has a poor grip. The cook can accidentally lose hold of the dish and drop it. Or, if a dish rag is used, the rag can fall into the food, contaminating the food with threads or fibers, or possibly even with food from previous meals. Further, dish rags can become untidy and may not be readily available to remove a dish from an oven or microwave oven. An improved way to remove a hot dish from an oven or microwave oven is needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An assembly of a plate and a paddle is useful for removing hot food items from an oven. The plate includes a peripheral edge, a lower surface, and a plurality of feet integrally formed to the lower surface. The paddle includes a handle and a blade extending away from the handle. The paddle moves between a free position and a seated position. In the free position of the paddle, the paddle is away from the plate. In the seated position of the paddle, the paddle is received along the lower surface of the plate and between the plurality of feet on the plate, so as to support the plate when removing it from the oven. Channels are defined between the plurality of feet, and in the seated position of the paddle, one of the channels exclusively receives the blade of the paddle. Each of the feet has a height which is greater than the height of the paddle. Opposed tabs project laterally from the handle, and in the seated position of the paddle, the tabs are in contact with two of the feet. A demarcation indication is formed across the handle of the paddle, and in the seated position of the paddle, the demarcation indication is registered with the peripheral edge of the plate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a plate and paddle assembly for handling hot food items, with the paddle in a free position;

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the plate and paddle assembly of FIG. 1 with the paddle in the free position;

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the plate and paddle assembly of FIG. 1 with the paddle in a seated position; and

FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the plate and paddle assembly of FIG. 1 with the paddle in the seated position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference now is made to the drawings, in which the same reference characters are used throughout the different figures to designate the same elements. FIG. 1 is an assembly 10 for handling and removing hot items from a microwave oven, convection oven, Dutch oven, pizza oven, or other like oven for heating food items (hereinafter “oven”). The assembly 10 consists of a plate 11 and a paddle 12. The plate 11 is a microwave-safe plate on which food to be cooked is set. The food, together with the plate 11, is heated, and the plate 11 is then removed from the oven. The paddle 12 is useful for removing the plate 11 because it provides a stable way to remove the plate 11 which could be quite hot.

The plate 11 includes a body 20 having an upper surface 21 and a lower surface 22 (shown in FIG. 2) joining at an annular peripheral edge 23. The body 20 of the plate 11 is slightly concave, having a round base 24, a slightly upwardly-turned wide rim 25, and a short, annular, transitional ring 26 between the base 24 and the rim 25. The base 24, at the bottom of the body 20, is wide and flat. The ring 26 extends around the base 24 and projects upwardly a short distance. The rim 25 is wide, extending around the ring 26 and projecting upwardly and outwardly therefrom. Overall, the body 20 has a low profile.

Turning to FIG. 2, the lower surface 22 of the plate 11 is formed with four feet 30. The feet 30 are identical in every respect other than location and orientation, and as such, the discussion herein will generally be with reference only to one of the feet 30, with the understanding that the ensuing description of one of the feet 30 applies equally to the other feet 30 unless otherwise explained. Further, each of the feet will be identified more specifically with the reference character 30 appended with an A, B, C, or D to differentiate the feet 30, but when describing a foot non-specifically, or several feet together, the reference character 30 will be used instead.

Turning to FIG. 4, the foot 30A is a downwardly-projecting body formed integrally and monolithically to the body 20 of the plate 11. The foot 30A elevates the lower surface 22 of the plate 11 above a surface on which the plate 11 rests. The foot 30A has a top 31 which is formed to the lower surface 22 of the plate 11, and an opposed bottom 32 which is flat. The top 31 is formed across an outer portion of the base 24, the ring 26, and an inner portion of the rim 25. Between the top and bottom 31 and 32, the foot 30A has a height A between the top and bottom 31 and 32, as shown in FIG. 4. The foot 30A has an arcuate outer face 33, and two opposed inner faces 34 and 35 converging from opposite sides of the outer face 33. The inner and outer faces 33, 34, and 35 are perpendicular to the bottom 32, so that the foot 30A has a generally regular, triangular prismatic shape. The arcuate outer face 33 is curved along a similar radius of curvature as that of the plate 11, and the inner faces 34 and 35 are transverse and roughly perpendicular to each other.

As described above, the feet 30 are identical in every respect other than location and orientation. As such, each of the feet 30 has a top 31, bottom 32, outer face 33, and inner faces 34 and 35. Because each foot 30 is identical, and to preserve the clarity of the illustration, not all of the drawings carry reference characters identifying every structural feature or element of each of the feet 30. Each foot 30, however, is disposed in a different location. The feet 30 are circumferentially offset about the plate 11 so that neighboring feet 30 are separated by approximately 90 degrees or one quarter of the plate 11. Each foot 30 is thus opposed from each other foot 30. The foot 30B is circumferentially spaced apart from the foot 30A, the foot 30D is circumferentially spaced apart from the foot 30B, the foot 30C is circumferentially spaced apart from the foot 30D, and the foot 30A is circumferentially spaced apart from the 30C.

The feet 30 cooperate to define two channels 40 and 41 under the plate 11. The channels 40 and 41 are indicated generally by the arrowed lines 40 and 41 in FIG. 2. The channels are wide, elongate areas under the plate 11 size and shaped to receive the paddle 12 between the feet 30. Referring to FIG. 2, the channel 40 is formed between a first set of opposed feet 30A and 30C and a second set of opposed feet 30B and 30D. The channel 40 is a wide, elongate space for receiving the paddle 12 under the plate 11. The channel 40 is defined along the lower surface 22 between the inner faces 34 and 35 of the foot 30A and the opposed foot 30C, respectively, and between the inner faces 35 and 34 of the foot 30B and the opposed foot 30D, respectively. The lower surface 22 of the plate 11 along the channel 40 is flat and featureless. The inner faces 34 and 35 of the feet 30A and 30C are directly opposed from each other, and are parallel to each other, so that they bound the channel 40 at one end of the channel 40. Likewise, the inner faces 35 and 34 of the feet 30B and 30D are directly opposed from each other, and are parallel to each other, so that they bound the channel 40 at another end of the channel 40. As shown in FIG. 4, the feet 30A and 30C are spaced apart from each other by a distance B between the inner faces 34 and 35, respectively. The feet 30B and 30D are similarly spaced an equal distance apart, so that the channel 40 has a constant width equal to the distance B.

Referring to FIG. 4, the channel 41 is formed between opposed feet 30A and 30B and between opposed feet 30C and 30D. Like the channel 40, the channel 41 is a wide, elongate space for receiving the paddle 12 under the plate 11. The channel 41 is defined along the lower surface 22 between the inner faces 35 and 34 of the foot 30A and the opposed foot 30B, respectively, and between the inner faces 34 and 35 of the foot 30C and the opposed foot 30D, respectively. The lower surface 22 of the plate 11 along the channel 41 is flat and featureless. The inner faces 35 and 34 of the feet 30A and 30B are directly opposed from each other, and are parallel to each other, so that they bound the channel 41 at one end of the channel 41. Likewise, the inner faces 34 and 35 of the feet 30C and 30D are directly opposed from each other, and are parallel to each other, so that they bound the channel 41 at another end of the channel 41. It is noted that the perspective view of FIG. 4 seems to make the inner faces 35 and 34 of the feet 30A and 30B, respectively, and the inner faces 34 and 35 of the feet 30C and 30D, respectively, not appear parallel, but this is merely a characteristic of the perspective view; they are actually parallel. The feet 30A and 30B are similarly spaced apart from each other by a distance C between the inner faces 35 and 34, respectively. The feet 30C and 30D are spaced an equal distance apart, so that the channel 41 has a constant width equal to the distance C. The distance C is equal to the distance B, so that the channels 40 and 41 have the same width. The channels 40 and 41 are aligned transverse with respect to each other, and are preferably perpendicular to each other.

Turning back to FIG. 1, the paddle 12 is shown. The paddle 12 includes a handle 52 and a blade 53. The paddle 12 includes a contiguous top surface 54 extending across both the handle 52 and the blade 53, and also has an opposed, continuous bottom surface 55 (shown in FIG. 2) also extending across both the handle 52 and the blade 53. The paddle 12 includes a short sidewall 60 that extends continuously around the paddle 12 from a proximal end 61 of the paddle 12, along a side 63 of the paddle 12, around a distal end 62 of the paddle 12, and along a side 64 of the paddle 12 back to the proximal end 61.

The handle 52 of the paddle 12 is relatively wide and flat. The top surface 54 along the handle 52 is flat, and the handle 52 widens slightly from a location between the handle 52 and the blade 53 to the proximal end 61 of the paddle 12. A hole 65 is formed proximate to the proximal end 61 entirely through the handle 52 from the top surface 54 to the bottom surface 55. Referring briefly to FIG. 2, the bottom surface 55 of the handle 52 is formed with concave contours 70 aligned transversely across the handle 52. Three contours 70 are preferably formed into the handle 52. The contours 70 are located distal to the hole 65. A demarcation line 71 is marked on the top surface 54 of the handle 52. The demarcation line 71 has a slight curve, and is marked on the top surface 54 with ink, etching, engraving, a decal, or some other similar, permanent marking method. The demarcation line 71 may be black, red, white, or some other color or contrasting pattern making it easily discernable from the top surface 55.

The blade 53 is a wide, flat projection from the handle 52 beginning just distal to the demarcation line 71. The blade 53 includes a set of tabs 72 and 73 projecting laterally from the sides 63 and 64, respectively. The tabs 72 and 73 are thin projections extending outwardly from the blade 53. Beyond the tabs 72 and 73, the sides 63 and 64 are straight and parallel, rounding together into the distal end 62. The top and bottom surfaces 54 and 55 of the blade 53 are flat and parallel with respect to each other. The blade 53 has a constant height D between the top and bottom surfaces 54 and 55, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. The height D is just less than the height A of the feet 30. The blade 53 further has a constant width E between the sides 63 and 64. The width E is equal to the widths B and C of the channels 40 and 41, respectively. The tabs 72 and 73 extend beyond the width E of the blade 53.

In operation, the assembly 10 is useful for extracting hot food items from an oven. The food item desired to be heated is placed on the plate 11, and the plate 11 is set into the oven. The plate 11 is preferably set on a level resting surface, such as a rotating plate in a microwave oven, a rack in a convection oven, a hearth bottom in a pizza oven, or some other substantially flat bottom resting surface in another type of oven. The oven is operated according to a set of instructions for heating the food item. In heating the food item, the oven will also heat the plate 11. When the heating process is finished, the paddle 12 is inserted into the oven. From a free position of the paddle 12, the paddle 12 is directed below the plate 11, between the lower surface 22 of the plate 11 and the resting surface on which the plate 11 is placed. The lower surface 22 of the plate 11 is elevated above the resting surface by a height A, the height of the feet 30, which provides room to insert the paddle 12. The paddle 12 has a height D which is lust less than the height A, so that the paddle 12 can slide between the lower surface 22 of the plate 11 and the resting surface. The paddle 12 is registered with one of the channels 40 and 41 by directing the distal end 62 toward the one of the channels 40 and 41 (the channel 40 will be used hereinafter for description of the operation of the assembly 10).

The length of the paddle 12, which extends between the proximal and distal ends 61 and 62, is aligned with the channel 40, and the paddle 12 is slid under the lower surface 22 of the plate 11 so that the blade 53 is introduced into the channel 40. The rounded distal end 62 contacts the feet 30, which will direct the distal end 62 laterally slightly so as to ensure alignment of the paddle 12. Advancement of the paddle 12 continues, with the sides 63 and 64 being received between the inner faces 34 and 35. Advancement further continues, with the blade 53 parallel to the plate 11, so that the top surface 54 of the paddle 12 is placed in sliding contact with the lower surface 22 of the plate 11. Eventually, the distal end 62 reaches the opposed set of feet 30, and the distal end 62 moves between those opposed set of feet 30. Advancement ends when the tabs 72 and 73 contact and engage the feet 30, defining a seated position of the paddle 12 to the plate 11. In the seated position of the paddle 12, the distal end 62 of the paddle 53 extends beyond one pair of the feet 30, the tabs 72 and 73 are received against the other pair of the feet 30, and the demarcation line 71 is registered with the peripheral edge 23 of the plate 11, as shown in FIG. 3. The demarcation line 71 has the same curvature as the peripheral edge 23, so that, when the paddle 12 is seated to the plate 11, the demarcation line 71 registers with and corresponds exactly to the peripheral edge 23. The cook sees that the demarcation line 71 is directly below and along the peripheral edge 23. Should the paddle 12 not be seated to the plate 11, the demarcation line 71 is visible apart from the peripheral edge 23, acting as a warning that the paddle 12 is not fully seated or that the plate 11 has begun to slip off the paddle 12. Though this process is described in a series of sequential instructions, it should be understood that application of the paddle 12 to the plate 11 is accomplished in preferably one smooth, continuous movement. Further, though application is described with respect to the blade 53, the paddle 12 may also be applied to the channel 41. The plate 11 receives the paddle 12 exclusively in either the channel 40 or the channel 41.

In the seated position, the paddle 12 is received and contained within the channel 40 snugly. The width B of the channel 40 is equal to the width E of the blade 53, so that a snug-fit engagement is formed between the paddle 12 and the channel 40. The inner faces 34 and 35 of the feet 30A and 30B, respectively, limit lateral movement of the plate 11 and paddle 12 with respect to each other on the side 64 of the paddle 12. The inner faces 35 and 34 of the feet 30C and 30D, respectively, limit lateral movement of the plate 11 and paddle 12 with respect to each other on the side 63 of the paddle 12. The interaction between the feet 30B and 30D with the tabs 73 and 72, respectively, (as shown in an exemplary fashion in FIG. 4) limits rearward movement of the plate 11 over the paddle 12. The plate 11 is thus unlikely to slip off the paddle 12 unless the assembly 10 is tilted dramatically. The engagement between the plate 11 and paddle 12 is thus secure, and the plate 11 can be removed from the oven. The paddle 12 is lifted upwardly so that the plate 11 is lifted as well, which ensures that the top surface 54 is in contact against the lower surface 22 of the plate 11. The paddle 12 is then withdrawn from the oven with the plate 11 atop the blade 53. The paddle 12 is maneuvered to a stable location, such as a kitchen counter top, dining room table, customer's place setting, or other like flat location. The paddle 12 is lowered until the feet 30 contact the stable location, and then the paddle 12 is withdrawn from underneath the plate 11, back to the free position of the paddle 12. The plate 11 has thus been removed from the oven without using hot pads or oven mitts, and without risk of personal injury. If the plate 11 needs to be moved, again, the paddle 12 is simply slid under the plate 11 as described above and used to lift and move the plate 11.

A preferred embodiment is fully and clearly described above so as to enable one having skill in the art to understand, make, and use the same. Those skilled in the art will recognize that modifications may be made to the described embodiment without departing from the spirit of the invention. To the extent that such modifications do not depart from the spirit of the invention, they are intended to be included within the scope thereof. 

The invention claimed is:
 1. An assembly comprising: a plate including a peripheral edge, a lower surface, and a plurality of downwardly-extending feet formed integrally to the lower surface; a paddle including a handle and a blade extending from the handle; a free position of the paddle, in which the paddle is away from the plate; and a seated position of the paddle, in which the paddle is received along the lower surface of the plate and between the plurality of feet on the plate.
 2. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising: channels defined between the plurality of feet; and in the seated position of the paddle, the blade of the paddle is received along the lower surface of the plate and within only one of the channels.
 3. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising: each of the plurality of feet each has a first height; the paddle has a second height; and the first height of each of the plurality of feet is greater than the second height of the paddle.
 4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of feet comprise two pairs of feet.
 5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein: the two pairs of feet are spaced apart from each other; and the feet in each of the two pairs of feet are spaced apart from each other.
 6. The assembly of claim 4, further comprising: opposed tabs projecting laterally from the handle; and in the seated position of the paddle, the tabs are in contact with one of the two pairs of feet.
 7. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising: a demarcation indication across the handle of the paddle; and in the seated position of the paddle, the demarcation indication on the handle is registered with the peripheral edge of the plate.
 8. An assembly comprising: a plate including a peripheral edge and a lower surface; a paddle including a handle and a blade extending from the handle; a set of engagement elements formed on the lower surface of the plate which maintains the plate at an elevated position; and the paddle moves between a free position, in which the paddle is away from the plate, and a seated position, in which the blade of the paddle is received between and engaged with the set of engagement elements on the plate.
 9. The assembly of claim 8, further comprising: channels defined through the set of engagement elements; and in the seated position of the paddle, the blade of the paddle is received along the lower surface of the plate and within only one of the channels.
 10. The assembly of claim 8, further comprising: each of the plurality of engagement elements has a first height; the paddle has a second height; and the first height of each of the engagement elements is greater than the second height of the paddle.
 11. The assembly of claim 8, wherein the set of engagement elements comprises two pairs of feet.
 12. The assembly of claim 11, wherein: the two pairs of feet are spaced apart from each other; and the feet in each of the two pairs of feet are spaced apart from each other.
 13. The assembly of claim 11, further comprising: opposed tabs projecting laterally from the handle; and in the seated position of the paddle, the tabs are in contact with one of the two pairs of feet.
 14. The assembly of claim 8, further comprising: a demarcation indication across the handle of the paddle; and in the seated position of the paddle, the demarcation indication on the handle is registered with the peripheral edge of the plate.
 15. An assembly comprising: a plate including a peripheral edge, feet carried on a lower surface of the plate, and channels defined between the feet; a paddle including a handle and a blade extending from the handle; and the paddle moves between a free position, in which the paddle is away from the plate, and a seated position, in which the blade of the paddle is received along the lower surface of the plate and within only one of the channels between the feet on the plate.
 16. The assembly of claim 15, further comprising: each of the feet each has a first height; the paddle has a second height; and the first height of each of the feet is greater than the second height of the paddle.
 17. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the feet comprise two pairs of feet.
 18. The assembly of claim 17, wherein: the two pairs of feet are spaced apart from each other; and the feet in each of the two pairs of feet are spaced apart from each other.
 19. The assembly of claim 17, further comprising: opposed tabs projecting laterally from the handle; and in the seated position of the paddle, the tabs are in contact with one of the two pairs of feet.
 20. The assembly of claim 15, further comprising: a demarcation indication across the handle of the paddle; and in the seated position of the paddle, the demarcation indication on the handle is registered with the peripheral edge of the plate. 